Topic: How to Start a Poultry Farming Egg porduction in Nigeria , How to Start a Poultry Farming Egg porduction in Nigeria The housing and management of layer hens can be carried out using one of two methods, caged layer production or floor production. Use of either method can keep the hens in production throughout the year if proper environmental and nutritional needs are met. The poultry house should be located away from other farm structures. The ground should allow good water drainage. Adequate light fixtures are needed to provide proper light intensity. Adequate light is present if the water and feed levels in the troughs can be seen after allowing enough time for your eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Fresh, clean water should be available at all times. The house should allow for plenty of ventilation and sunlight. Place 1 inch, poultry wire netting over all openings to separate the hens from other birds and animals, both wild and domestic. Removable curtains or doors are recommended so the openings can be opened or closed as the weather changes. Keep the house dry and comfortable by ventilating from all sides in the summer and closing most openings in winter. The caged layer production method consists of placing the hens in wire cages with feed and water being provided to each cage. The birds are housed at a capacity of two to three hens in each cage, which measures approximately 12x1618. The cages are arranged in rows which are placed on leg supports or suspended from the ceiling so the floors of the cages are about 2 to 3 feet above the ground. Water is supplied by individual cup waterers or a long trough outside the cages that extends the length of the row of cages. The feed trough is also located outside the cages and runs parallel to the water trough on the opposite side of each cage. The cages are designed so the eggs will roll out of the cage to a holding area by means of a slanted wire floor. This method of housing is used primarily with egg-type layers kept for infertile egg production. The floor production method is designed for either egg-type or broiler-type birds kept for fertile or infertile eggs. In commercial flocks this method is used when fertile eggs for hatching are needed. The birds are maintained in the house on a litter covered floor, giving the term floor production. One nest 14 inches wide, 12 inches high, and 16 inches deep is needed for each four hens. A mash hopper 5 feet long and open on both sides is adequate for 25 hens. Three 3-gallon pans provide adequate watering space for 30 hens. Clean, scrub and disinfect the house and equipment thoroughly before placing the pullets in the laying house after it has dried. Put 3 inches of litter material in the nests and 4 to 6 inches of litter on the floor. Regardless of which production method is used, the 22-week old pullets should be given an increasing daily light schedule after being placed in the laying house. The length of daily light should be increased 15 minutes each week after the birds enter the laying house. The increased light will stimulate egg production and help maintain production throughout the year. The day length increases should continue until the birds are receiving 16-18 hours of light each day. The day length should remain the same for the rest of the laying period. After the birds begin to produce eggs, the total duration of light, including both natural and artificial, should not be reduced. The birds should be fed a nutritionally balanced commercial laying mash containing 16 percent protein. Use a special breeder ration if the eggs are being saved for hatching purposes. These breeder diets contain higher levels of vitamins that help produce higher hatchability and healthier chicks. Poultry older than 16-18 weeks do not require a ration containing a coccidiostat unless a coccidiosis outbreak occurs. If a commercially produced layer ration is provided, additional oyster shell, grit or grain is not needed. Broodiness is often a problem in floor production housing. It is characterized by a hen wanting to build a permanent nest and begin setting. The problem can be solved by removing the hen from the flock and placing her in a wire-floored cage for 3 to 4 days. Ample feed and water should be supplied to the affected hen. The hen can then usually be returned to the flock with no further problem. The treatment can be repeated if the hen continues to be broody. Our guide will run you through questions you need to consider before construction of your farm pond begins. It will also give you a basic idea on what to expect when operating and managing your production business. Going into poultry production for the purpose of egg production means you intend to raise laying hen. They could be from Day-old-chicks (DOC), or stock as Point-of-Lay(POL) birds. Layers can be reared on Deep litter system or Battery Cage system. Caged birds need more capital but the merits include; easy of management, cleaner eggs, safety from breakages, minimal feed wastage, reduced water contamination and maximized space. A unit of cage from my company with the capacity of 120 birds cost N90, 000. Beginners with limited resources could start with deep litter system. It is affordable, litter material are readily available. The major requirements are conducive housing and more intense management of the water, feed and litters. The roof in all cases should be heat repealing, made from asbestos, thatch etc. Vent, created to let out heat, wall should be less than two feet high, curtain from sacks or tarpaulin provided to prevent entrance of rain water to prevent incidences of coccidiosis and other enteric diseases. Beginners should minimise the cost of poultry house construction and utilise local materials as equipments so that the limited resources could be channel into productive running cost such as DOC or POL and feed. Beginners could start with POL, these are birds in their fourteen to twenty weeks of Age,(birds often start dropping their first egg from 22weeks to 24weeks of age). Advantage of acquiring Point Of Lay birds is the reduced risk. Prices of POL at press time ranges from N750 to N950/bird. In budgeting for feeding, a bag cost about N2,200 today and 4bags could feed 1000birds per days. Let me open your understanding to how profitable egg production could be under proper 1000 layers Will produce 28 creates daily Feed consumption The aim should be a daily consumption of 120g feed per hen a day. 120kg of feed daily= 4bags @N2, 200= N8, 800 to produce 28 creates daily 28 creates x N500 per crate = N14, 000 profit – N8, 800 daily feed consumption =N5, 200 54 to 72weeks of lay, the spent layers would be sold for nearly the equivalent amount with which the POL is purchased. You can see that egg production is terrifically profiting.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 16:10:37 +0000